Combined grate shaker housing and locking device



Nov. 10, 1931. J. L, HILLAN 1,831,415

COMBINED GRATE SHAKER HOUSING AND LOCKING DEVICE Filed July 3, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l 44 UAA\ (Y M gjm@ Nov. 10, 1931. J. l.. HILLAN '1,831,415

COMBINED GRATE SHAKER HOUSING AND LOCKING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet 2 will/1111111 l l l l /l if yf @x w Y v 137 mfen/['rPatented Nov. 10, 1931 JOSEPH LEO HILLAN, F AUSTIN, MINNESOTA COMBINEDGRATE SHAKER HOUSING AND LOCKING DEVICE Application filed July 3, 1929.Serial No.` 375,630.

My invention relates to a housing for the grate shaker members or leversof a locomotive fire-box whereby` the usual openings in the fioor ordeck of a locomotive cab will V be closed against the ingress of steam,cinders, dirt and the like through the usual openings necessary in thedeck, thus providing means in compliance with the rules of theInterstate Commerce Commission.

One object of the invention is to provide a housing of such constructionthat proper operation of the grate-bar shakers may be possible, while atthe same time providing a. constant cl-osure about the shaker elementswhich at the. same time constitutes locking means for the grate shakerswithout, however, interfering with the comparatively compact space orroom in the locomotive cab.

Another object of my invention is to provide a housing of suchconstruction that drains from the boiler gauge cocks as well as allother drains will be discharged beneath the housing and re-entry -ofsteam or other foreign matter into the cab will be prevented and theengine crew thus fully protected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction with asliding or yieldable connection with the boiler head to compensate forthe expansiony of the boiler during operation.

The above 'enumerated objects and its advantages as well as otherobjects and advantages inherent in the construction, will all be readilycomprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings,

wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved housing shownapplied to a cab floor and to the cab wind sheets which are shown insection, with portions of the usual drainpipes being shown.

Figure Q,- is a cross-sectional view at one end of the housing, takensubstantially on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

y415 Figure o is a detail sectional view taken substantially on theyline 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 isl a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line4--4 of Figure 1, with a portion of the grate-bar shaker 5 link inelevation.

Figure 5 illustratesv a modified form of the housing, in cross-section,shown applied to a type of locomotive wherein the shaker fulcrum elementor bracket is differently located relative to the cab-floor. c

Under the Interstate Commerce Commission rule as vrecently amended, itis required that all unnecessary holes or openings in the floors of'locomotive cabs must be closed for the protection of the engine crew soas to prevent possibility of the venginemen being scalded by theblowingback of the hot steam and water which is drained from the gaugesor other devices of the boiler and to further protect the enginemenagainstthe inblowing D of cinders, small coal particles and dust throughtheopenings at present in the floor of a locomotive cab. c

In the particular exemplification of my invention as shown in the firstfour figures of my invention, the housing, generally indicated at 10, iscomposed of pressed steel or other suitable metal and shown of arcuateor segmental formation transversely, as shown in Figures 2 and 4 and oflength preferably commensurate with the width of the locomoytive cab inorder that the housing may extend from wind-sheet to wind-sheet 11, 11,as shown-in Figure 1. The housing 10, at its opposite ends, is shownprovided with the preferably inturn'ed flanges 12 adapted to eX- tendsubstantially flush with the cab windsheets 11 to which said anges areshown riveted, bolted or otherwise secured as at 18. The lower orforward longitudinal edge of the housing is flanged outwardly or securedto an angle bar as at 14, in order that this longitudinal side of thehousing may be secured to the deck or cab-floor 15 in any suit- Y ablemanner, as for example by bolts 16.

Locomotive fire-box ygrates are usually arranged in independentlyoperable sections composed of `a plurality of grate-bars linkedtogether, and the respective sections provided with linksas at 18, witheach link 18 connected with a shaker lever 19, which levers areful'crumed in suitable slotted brackets 20, secured to the boiler-head.c

As these elements form no part of my inc venticn, further detaileddescription and more specific illustration beyond that contained in thedrawings need not be entered into; such constructions being well knownin the art.

My improved housing is therefore provided with a suitable number ofopenings 17 positioned in keeping with the location of the fulcrumpoints 21 of levers 19 on the bracket members 20, 20. In the specificeXempliication, the housing is provided with a pair of' large openings17 which are covered by theV The plates 22, at opposite ends and atpoints intermediate of theslots 24, are held in spaced relation with themain wall of the housing 10 by spacer elements or strips 25, see Figure3) which preferably extend through the entire length of plates 22,namely in a direction transversely of housing` 10. in order to close olfthe space or openings between the plates 22 and the housing 10 onopposite sides of the slots 24 in plates 22, so that foreign matter maynot enter the cab of the locomotive therethrough. Y

The spacing between the plates 22 and the main housing 10 is madesuiiicient to receive -slide-plates or members 26 and'permit the latterto freely slide back and forth during oscillatory movement of the levers19 when shaking operation of the grate-bars is to be performed.

These slide-plates 26 are formed to lit over the levers 19, or ratherare slotted as at 27 to permit thelevers 19 to pass therethrough; theslots beiner made of size just sutlicient for passage of the levers 19,so as not Vto leave clearance for the passage of steam or other foreignmatter.

The plates 26 are of width and length greater than the width and lengthof slots 24 in plates 22, in order to at all times provide closures forthese slots 24; hence the length of slide-plates 26 is such that whenthe levers 19 are at one end of the slot-s 24 in plate 22, the end ofthe slide-plates 26 on one side of the levers 19 will. entirely closethe exposed ends of the slots in the stationary plates 22, and henceprevent ingress of steam, cinders, or other foreign substance.

In order to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the boiler.I support the adjacent upper longitudinal side of the housing 10 bymeans of a bracket 23 which is secured to the ,boiler-head which ispartial- 'the enginemen or interferewith their operaly indicated by thewall 29. The bracket 28 is preferably in the nature of an angle barwhich may extend throughout the entire length of the housing so as toprovide a closure at the upper rear side of the housing, while at thesame time yieldingly supporting the housing by the laterally extendingleg or side of the angle bar bracket 28,' as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

In Figure 5 I show a modilied form of my invention as applied tolocomotive {ire-box wherein the arrangement of the shaker elements andlocation of the fulcrum bracket 20 is somewhat different; namely wherethe fulcruin bracket 2O is located above the deck or cab-floor 15, whilethe shaker lever 30 is of the angular form shown, being bent at itsfulcrum. point 31 so that the lower end eX- tends substantiallyvertically when in normal position.

In order to avoid too much restriction of the cab space, the housing 32is shown provided with a flat upward sloping wall 33 and an upper flatwall 34, which, like housing 10, is slotted at 17 for passage of theshaker levers 30 therethrough. The forward 'sloping 4wall 33isshownlianged along its lower longitudinal edge as at 35 to extendiiush with the floor 15 of the cab and to be lirmly secured thereto bybolts 16 or in any other suitable manner. The upper longitudinal side ofthe housing 32 is also yieldingly supported from the boiler-head 29 bybracket 23, to take care of expansionv and contraction of the boilerduring operation, while at the same time always maintaining' a closurefor the juncture between the housing and the boilerhead.

The openings 17 in the top'wall 34 of housing 32, like in housing 10,are provided with slotted plates 36 held in spaced relation with wall 34by spacer elements or plates 25 as previously described and arranged atoppositev ends of the plates 36 and between the slots 24 in plates 36 soas to also act as closures and at the same time permit free slid ingmovement, between wall 34 of housing 32 and plates 36, of the slidableplates 26. which are made flat to correspond with the flat top ofhousing 32 instead of being arcuate as in I" Figures 1 and 4 where thehousing is of arcuate formation transversely. The slide plates 26aL ofthe construction shown in Figure 5 have the lower ends of the levers 30pass therethrough with the plates ext-ending bevond opposite sides ofthe levers as described in connection with the previous construction.

This maintains a constant closure for the slots 24 in the plates 36which are arranged over the lever openings in the main top wall of thehousing 32 and prevent passage of steam, cinders and other foreignmatter into the cab where it would endanger the lives of tions.

upper ends of the slots in plates 22 in the con-A struction shown inFigures l and 4, or at the rear ends of the slots 24 in the constructionshown in Figure 5; the heads of the pins 37 holding the pins in place,while the shanks of the pins will be disposed in the paths of theslide-plates when the shaker levers are in normal position. That is tosay, the pins will extend through the housings and be located in advanceof the ends of the slide-plates 26 and thus prevent oscillatory movementof the levers which carry the slide-plates with them. The locking pins37 are preferably shown provided with small chains 38 which arealsosuitably fastened to the housing to prevent their loss.

Vhere the type of housing shown in the first two figures of the drawingsis employed, I prefer to provide the housing with a safety tread for theenginemen when stepping on the housing to work on the boiler-head, suchas filling the lubricator, etc.

This safety tread is in the .nature of an angle iron running fulllength, wherever possible, of the housing as shown at 39; the angle ironbeing riveted-to the housing at a point which permits one leg or sideofthe iron to be disposed in a substantiallyT horizontal direction. Y

It is apparent from the constructions shown and described that thepresent openings in the deck or cab-floor are entirely covered andingress of steam, cinders and other foreign matter will be practicallyimpossible and the rules of the Interstate Commerce Commission thusfully complied with, While at the same time permitting proper operationof the grate shaker levers, which at the same time may be locked againstaccidental movement. Furthermore, the structure will permit of relativemovement between the boiler-head and the deck without in any wayinterfering with the proper functioning and operation; the housing beingalso formed and adapted to receive the various drains and drainpipeguides, as shown for example at 40; and while the drawings are believedto show the best embodiments of my invention, alterations are possibleand may be made without, however, de# parting from thel spirit of myinvention, which has been described in terms employed for descriptionand not as terms of limitation.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination with the grateshaker levers and the wind-sheets of the cab of a locomotive, of an openbottom housing adapted to extend across the juncture between the cabfioor and the boiler head of the locomotive with ther ends of thehousing secured to the wind sheets, said housing being secured to thecab floor against movement and having an opening therethrough forpassage of the shaker levers, means secured to the boiler head of thelocomotive and extending throughout the length of the housing wherebythe housing is yieldingly supported on the boiler head and a closurebetween the head and housing provided, members disposed across theopenings in the housing and secured in spaced relation to the housingand being slotted for passage of the levers and to permit them to beoscillated, and plates snugly fitted about the levers and slidingly.arranged between the housing and said members so as to move with thelevers when the latter are oscillated, said plates being of width andlength greater than that of the slots in said members so as toconstantly close the slots in all positions of the levers.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination withthe grate shaker levers and the wind-sheets of the 'cab of a locomotive,an open bottom housing arranged to extend Vacross the juncture betweenthe cab floor and the boiler head of the locomotive with the ends of thehousing secured to the wind-sheets of the locomotive cab, said housinghaving openings therethrough for passage of the grate shaker levers, amember secured to the boiler head for yieldingly supporting the adjacentside of the housing and provide a closure between the boiler head andthe housing, slotted members disposed across the openings in the housingand secured in spaced relation to said housing, plates snugly fittedabout the levers and slidably mounted between the housing and saidmembers and of Width and length greater than that of the n' slots insaid members so as to Vconstantly close vthe slots, the members atone'end of the slots having apertures, and locking pins seatable in saidapertures so as to extend into the path JOSEPH LEO HILLAN.

